*Actual note from my writing teacher on my first chapter. (I’m just hoping he was talking about my narrator.)
Well, I had my first critique in my writing class today, and I survived, though I’m not sure my novel will — at least not in its current form. My classmates were mostly encouraging, but the teacher had a big problem with the voice of my narrator. I had worried that she might be unlikeable because she’s snarky and judgmental and more than a little bitter, but he was more concerned that writing it in her voice would alienate readers, that she was like being pinned down by an obnoxious person at a party who invades your personal space to rant at you. He’s got a point, though I admit I quite like listening to snarky people rant (when I can close the book/browser to shut them up). Being so inside her head makes it hard to see the rest of the characters or the world they’re in.
At least I’m only about 40 pages in, so rewriting now is better than having to rewrite a whole novel…
michelle heimburger 
Uh, no. That’s ONE person’s opinion. Hold the rewriting. Have others take a look AND stay true to the story (and the voice) you’re telling.
Agreed!
Well, yes, but he is one person who has been working in the industry for several decades, so his opinion is a very educated one. He had some good points about the problem with being too much inside a character’s head, and he didn’t say I had to scrap it and start over or anything. I’m going to try to revise with his suggestions in mind, but I may end up rewriting in the third person. If nothing else, it’ll be a good experience trying to think about the story and character from another angle.